Religious instruction Qld: Brisbane Citipointe Church West discusses ‘harvesting schools for disciples’ in leaked video
Members of a Brisbane church have been filmed speaking about using religious instruction in schools to “harvest” children and “disciple them”. SEE THE VIDEO
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Members of a Brisbane church spoke about using controversial religious instruction as a platform to “harvest” state school children and “disciple them afterwards”, prompting further calls for an overhaul.
Video footage obtained by The Courier-Mail showed Citipointe Church West members discussing going into Brisbane schools and using the program as an “amazing mission field”.
The video, taken in March 2021, filmed the church’s pastor Tim McDonald speaking to a religious instruction volunteer referred to as Cecile.
It’s sparked further calls for Education Minister Grace Grace to review Queensland’s religious instruction policy, which allows faith groups to enter schools for an hour a week to give lessons to students who have been given consent from parents.
In the video, the volunteer said she had been “teaching” religious instruction at several schools in the Inala area, including Middle Park and Jindalee state schools.
“Like we pray, we go to church, we do things. It’s almost like having a church in the school system,” the volunteer said.
“ … You can have a potential to harvest hundreds for the Lord. And disciple them afterwards.
“And it’s only just the beginning. There are many other schools just in the Inala area, that’s waiting to have a program as well.”
The pair also boasted about having the freedom under state government policy to provide religious instruction in schools, unlike most other states.
In Victoria, Labor leader Dan Andrews in 2016 ordered the program move to lunchtime or before and after school which led to a major drop off in numbers.
“Now, we also are blessed here in Queensland, legislated that this is legal to happen in schools,” Mr McDonald said.
A statement on Middle Park State School’s website, last updated on February 20, 2023, showed Citipointe Church West was one a dozen congregations with accredited volunteers providing religious instruction.
According to a Jindalee State School newsletter from April 2022, Citipointe Church West was one of nine faith groups participating in religious instruction at the school.
Bundamba State School’s website also lists the controversial Hillsong Church as one of its three faith providers alongside the Salvation Army and Catalyst Church.
Citipointe Church West is linked to the Citipointe Christian College which made headlines last year over an enrolment contract which asked families to agree their children would identify as their birth gender or face being exclusion.
A spokesperson from the Citipointe Church Brisbane’s head office denied the use of the word “harvesting” in the video as it was “not a faith word”.
The spokesperson suggested the word may have been “mispronounced” as there “could be religious terminology that would include the word harvest”.
Despite the woman being introduced by Mr McDonald as a member of the church congregation, the Citipointe spokesperson said they had “no affiliation with Citipointe Church”.
“We believe that RI is a positive program for students to attend and parents have the decision as to whether their child attends,” the spokesperson said.
Education Minister Grace Grace today confirmed there were no proposed changes to the religious instruction policy.
Ms Grace did not respond to specific questions regarding the nature of the Citipointe Church West video.
Instead, Ms Grace said if parents or families had any concerns about RI in a particular school, they should contact the principal or the regional office.
“There has been a longstanding provision for religious instruction in state schools for many years,” Ms Grace said.
“RI is not compulsory for students at Queensland state schools, and any RI that does take place cannot exceed one hour per week.
“It can only happen with written parental consent, and a staff member is always present while RI is being delivered.
“All schools review programs to ensure that they do not contravene departmental policies, including policies on student wellbeing and inclusive education.”
It comes following a recent Monash University study which outlined concerns that church groups were using the lessons to indoctrinate children.
Monash University’s Dr Jennifer Bleazby said religious instruction could encourage children to “uncritically” accept beliefs that were not supported by evidence, or beliefs that were controversial.
She said she was “alarmed” at the way religious instruction was taught, not by qualified teachers but by community volunteers, and “presented in fact”.
Dr Bleazby said she found material where the volunteer groups were “presenting the Bible as a book of fact” rather than as a collection of religious texts
Instead, Dr Bleazby called for religious instruction to be replaced with education about diverse religions and worldviews that “fostered social cohesion and intercultural understanding”, taught by “neutral”, qualified teachers.
Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools spokesperson Alison Courtice said parents would be shocked by the video but predicted that little would change unless the school gates were closed to “evangelists”.
The lobby group has spent the past decade calling for the state government to change or review the 113-year-old religious instruction program.
“This is not the first time we have seen providers of RI describe state schools as amazing mission fields full of unchurched children ripe for harvesting,” Ms Courtice said.
“The volunteer in this video is describing the real purpose of RI, which is to convince kids to follow the religion.
“Minister Grace keeps saying there are no plans to change RI. We construe this as tacit acceptance of the public schools she oversees being treated as mission fields.”
Multi-Faiths RI Network chair David Baker said it rejected suggestions that religious instruction was used to indoctrinate children.
Mr Baker argued religious instruction was “progressive” and designed to empower parents and caregivers to make an “informed choice about the faith education of their children”.
“RI has been modernised and made relevant to the modern state school classroom through revisions in RI policy, curriculums and high-quality teacher training,” Mr Baker said.
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Originally published as Religious instruction Qld: Brisbane Citipointe Church West discusses ‘harvesting schools for disciples’ in leaked video
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